Ritchie’s rich fare

Truth is stranger than fiction, they say. Netflix miniseries ‘The Diamond Heist’ proves it, and how!

London’s hardened criminals are on the prowl for the sparkling 203-carat Millennium Star diamond. The series begins with Lee Wenham recounting his childhood, and his attempt at what could have been the greatest heist of all times. He is pitted against John Swinfield, chief detective of the Flying Squad. A squad that’s working hard to regain its reputation, post some corrupt officers tarnishing it.

Lee, who knew no other life than that of crime, wants to be a ‘respected gangster’. Swinfield is on his last chance to resurrect the Flying Squad’s lost glory. To add to the high stakes, an editor of a daily invites himself to the party!

This crime documentary, at its heart, is a story of honour. It catches the spirit of the change of millennium. Three episodes — ‘Robbers’, ‘Cops’ and ‘Cops & Robbers’, each of about 45 minutes — pick up the background, preparation and the daring act. It’s like ‘MI’ meets ‘Bond’ meets ‘Ocean’s Eleven’, in Guy Ritchie’s limited part series, that keeps one on the edge of the seat. Twenty-five years on, one’s memory of the Millennium Dome robbery is hazy and that works best as the series flits fast between past and present.

It opens like any heist film — picking out the best of men: muscle, mind and tech. Months of foolproof planning, it’s supposed to be an outlandish five-minute job, and their greatest pay day. But here, the robbers are not the only ‘heroes’. They are faced with a diligent detective squad that’s working round the clock to predict their next move.

Swinfield is joined by Jools Lloyd and Carol Brockelsby from SO 11, the British counterpart of America’s SWAT team. They are leaving no stone unturned to catch the criminals red-handed.

While the series sure is empathetic to Lee’s character, it also shows the oft-unseen labour and bravado of the detective squad. The stakes are way higher for them as public life is in danger, and any misstep could result in the squad being disbanded altogether.

Tim Cragg’s cinematography presents a picturesque Kent, gleaming-in-night Greenwich and dazzling diamonds. Music by David Schweitzer builds the tension that’s required for an actioner. Due credit to editors Alasdair Bayne and Tom Dixon-Spain for keeping it pacy.

Do watch it, for Guy Ritchie builds it in the manner of a highly-mounted film, offering enough drama along with thrills!